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Author Topic:   Spacecraft Films: Fox Home Video editions
dsenechal
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posted 09-15-2003 06:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dsenechal   Click Here to Email dsenechal     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I just had the opportunity to view the new Fox Home Video version of Spacecraft Film's Apollo 11 DVD set. Although similar to the original, it's a very nice improvement. The audio accompanying the various reference footage was informative, and much appreciated.

If you don't already have this DVD set, it's worth your while (and your hard-earned cash) to pick it up. If you already have the original version, you'll have to decide. From my point of view, it was well worth the extra expenditure.

spacecraft films
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posted 09-15-2003 07:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks to you once again. There was a post on one of the other threads about an "upgrade path." When we began talking to Fox I originally was hopeful we would be able to provide some sort of an upgade path for those with the original set (which retailed for $54.99). As we got into it and I discovered that some retailers would be selling very close to the wholesale price (which we pay along with all other retailers), it became clear that providing any upgrade path would be basically the same as getting it at the lowest price available, so we abandoned the idea.

When we started out about 2 years ago, we had no idea that we'd have another version this soon. What we tried to do was add enough unique material to make the new version worthwhile, especially if one wanted to collect them all and have all the packaging the same. The amount of new material on the Apollo 8 disc is similar, and the addition on the Saturn disc is simply vehicle audio on discs 2 and 3. The menus are also smoother and quicker.

heng44
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posted 09-16-2003 05:44 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for heng44   Click Here to Email heng44     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Are you thinking about eventually re-doing the Apollo 14 complete downlink edition? Perhaps because it was one of your first, there was little training footage on it compared to later discs. Have you found anything additional to justify a second edition?

spacecraft films
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posted 09-16-2003 06:44 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, we will be doing a new version of Apollo 14. We don't have a release date for it. There is a good deal of additional material that we need to include on the revised version. You're correct, it was our first product and we were developing the contents at that time.

heng44
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posted 09-16-2003 10:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for heng44   Click Here to Email heng44     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great! I will definitely buy the new Apollo 14 when it comes out.

I received the new editions of Apollo 11 and Saturn-1/1B today and they look fantastic! Not only the sleek look of the boxes, but also the contents is even better than it already was. Really happy with it.

tegwilym
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posted 09-16-2003 03:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for tegwilym   Click Here to Email tegwilym     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I just got the Apollo 11 set last week. Excellent!!

I can't wait for the Saturn V one to come out. I probably should get the Saturn IB vesion also to round out the set though.

dsenechal
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posted 10-01-2003 07:12 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for dsenechal   Click Here to Email dsenechal     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I just had the opportunity to view the Saturn V Quarterly Reports DVD set from Spacecraft Films. This is just about the coolest thing ever. This 2-DVD set includes a sizeable number of original and complete NASA film reports, produced by Marshall at the time, that provide management-type quarterly updates on the progress of the development and construction of the Saturn V. These include the building of facilities, testing of engines, assembly of the various stages, and documentation of various mishaps (engines exploding, tanks failing, etc.). I also finally learned how to pronounce "Michoud" (No, it's not "mih-chowd").

The dates of these films start as early as 1963. Some of this stuff seems a little obscure, but it's absolutely fascinating, especially if you have an interest in technology/engineering, or you have an interest in the technical background associated with the Saturn V, rather than just watching the flights of the completed vehicles. Mark and his group did a great job of restoring the original color to the badly faded originals. This DVD set may be a little hard to find pending the cutover to the Fox versions, but it'll be worth the wait. Another fine job, Mark.

spacecraft films
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posted 10-01-2003 07:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by dsenechal:
Although similar to the original, it's a very nice improvement.
In actuality, there isn't additional footage on the new sets, the original sets were complete in that regard.

What we have added is additional audio, such as onboard voice recorders and the air to ground audio during the traverses on the lunar surface. At the time the sets were produced for the first edition, we had not been able to gain access to the post-flight debriefs, onboard recorders, etc., but the complete footage was and is there (on the first edition). The original versions were then, and are now, a good value.

Also, the only sets that have differences are Apollo 11, Apollo 8, Apollo 15 and Apollo 16. Everything we produced after knowledge that we were doing distribution through Fox is exactly the same content. Gemini and Apollo 17 were produced after we knew, and they contain exactly the same content.

spacecraft films
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posted 10-01-2003 07:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
To be completely fair concerning my above post, when we redo Apollo 14 we will be adding some additional footage that wasn't on the disc because it was our first production.

Originally, there were to be two volumes, one with the complete downlink (TV) and one with the complete onboards. What we learned from that set was to do everything in one set (which we began doing on Apollo 15). When we get to the Apollo 14 re-edit (we haven't even begun laying that one out yet) perhaps there is a supplement that could be provided to owners of the original set. I'm not sure, but we'll see what we can do. That is still at least a year in the future.

I do know that when we redo 14 it will be like 15, 16, 17, with training, suitup, etc. It is a fact that none of that material was on the existing set (we were young and foolish). Of course, at the time we were quite pleased with ourselves, as it was the first time any long-form Apollo moonwalk footage had been put on DVD.

Blackarrow
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posted 10-02-2003 06:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I would just like to say how much I have enjoyed the Apollo 17 Complete Downlink set. It came out MUCH later than originally advertised, but was well worth the wait. (It would have been worth the price for the post-TEI TV transmission alone. Crystal clear views of the lunar far-side, and the amazingly poignant sight of the almost-full Moon visibly shrinking as the spacecraft headed back home!)

One question: on the final DVD, why is there a gap in the sound from the point where the helicopter lands on the deck of the Ticonderoga, to the point where the three astronauts are presented to the ship's company? I was able to locate my own 30-year-old live sound recording of the recovery procedures and "fill in the gap" but if I could do it, why couldn't you plug the gap on the DVD?

spacecraft films
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posted 10-02-2003 06:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The videotape with the recovery sequence audio changes at the start of the gap (someone switched the audio on the recording to network coverage at that point, which is copyrighted...) We did not have additional audio beyond that point and felt as though the set really needed to be released. We felt the important audio was the crew statements, and the earlier recovery material.

There are various recordings of different sections in lots of different hands. We try very hard to be as complete as possible, and provide unique audio tracks such as the onboard audio during the Saturn V launch. We do, however, avoid copyright, unless the material is deemed essential, then we attempt to secure rights for use (In some cases it has been difficult to trace copyright because the ownership has changed many times. For example, we found an interesting Houston local broadcast of the return of the crew, but didn't use it simply due to the legality of assuring ourselves that it the proper copyright permission was secured. We also were very short on space and I didn't want to decrease the bit rate on something else in order to make it fit.) In many cases we must reconstruct pieces from various sources that are not complete. You'd be amazed the number of different sources from which the EVAs must be reconstructed to use the best record. Piecing together the kinescope would be much easier. But the videotape looks so much better.

dsenechal
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posted 10-03-2003 07:43 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for dsenechal   Click Here to Email dsenechal     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Your knowledge regarding copyright law is surely greater than mine, but I have a question regarding a particular network/provider's copyright for audio (or video) that they received from a NASA feed.

It has always been my understanding that a commercial entity's copyright only applies to the portion of the broadcast/performance that they had actually produced or were responsible for. Example: during the Apollo 11 EVA, Walter and Wally were chatting up a storm, so their words would fall under copyright protection; however, the remainder of the EVA audio would simply be NASA audio, which is not copyrighted. Same with the video: when CBS used their "character generator" to include the words "Man On The Moon", that could be copyrighted, but the raw NASA feed would not.

Any thoughts?

spacecraft films
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posted 10-03-2003 05:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
You are correct. Which is exactly the issue.

The audio on the JSC videotape of Apollo 17 recovery switches to network coverage, which contains commentary by anchors (they were always talking) which is copyrighted (which is why we had to cut it out)...

I find this from time to time... and as odd as it might sound... A number of the videotapes at JSC were recorded from the local Houston affiliate... and/or the audio switches from one source to another from time to time. This is especially true of recovery. I have also found this from time to time in some of the KSC material. If I remember correctly, I had to rebuild some of the Apollo 17 countdown hold material because the file videotape at JSC had CBS's graphics on it (the feeds switched in and out). This is one of the reasons we favor the film record for launch, etc. We're able to get to the camera film in its original condition.

I could have sought other audio (which takes generally 4-6 weeks for me to get) to fill in that portion which was copyrighted, but since it was for only the section in which the astronauts walked from the helicopter to the podium, I didn't feel it was worth holding the set up further. Does it exist? I'm certain somewhere it does. Would I have preferred it to be seamless? Yes I would have. But with this material in so many different places I have to be very careful about sourcing the material.

Orthon
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posted 10-07-2003 04:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Orthon   Click Here to Email Orthon     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'm still wondering...what happened to the Walter Cronkite coverage of the first Saturn 5 launch that was supposed to be on the DVD?

Blackarrow
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posted 10-07-2003 05:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mark, I'm only now getting back to this topic after my question on 2nd October about the Apollo 17 DVD. Many thanks for the explanation and clarification. You must be very good at jigsaw puzzles!

spacecraft films
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posted 10-07-2003 07:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Cronkite coverage of the first Saturn V launch was NEVER listed as an element of the set.

However, as I said to some folks on the phone, I wanted this to be a part, but was unable to achieve this.

I spent several months trying to purchase permission to use the clip, however, the BBC, which now manages the CBS news archive, couldn't find it, and therefore I could not purchase rights to it.

We looked into every possible entry we could think of to locate it within their database, and they could not locate it. I would say the number of conversations with them regarding this piece of footage numbered close to 100. And I must say, they were not the easiest group with which to communicate.

I am trying again with them as we prepare the re-release next year.

dsenechal
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posted 10-08-2003 06:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for dsenechal   Click Here to Email dsenechal     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mark, curious that CBS's archives are owned by the BBC.

Anyway, that being the case, would you consider it a possibility that CBS's Apollo 11 coverage might be released on DVD at some point? Though it was a long time ago, seems to me that CBS's coverage went non-stop for something over 30 hours. Lots of interviews, behind-the-scenes footage (remember the Grumman guy describing the LM, and the actor-astronauts shuffling about on the ersatz moon set - surprised that the moon hoax folks haven't latched on to that...).

Anyway, if there's any possibility that this true treasure might be released, you'd be the one to make it happen.

spacecraft films
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posted 10-08-2003 06:45 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Dave, I think they are "managed" by the BBC, I'm sure CBS still retains ownership. We're still working that one.

I actually think there are a number of subjects for which it would be viable to release complete coverage... problem is convincing the owner of the asset that it is viable. I think many would find it interesting to see that coverage.

Blackarrow
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posted 10-08-2003 05:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mark, if the BBC manages the CBS archives, and you have been in contact 100 times or more with the BBC, you must have a fair idea about how the BBC manages its own archives. I always thought it remarkable that the BBC apparently wiped their Apollo 11 video-tapes by mistake. Can you shed any light on that? Until recently, the conventional wisdom was that NASA had lost, or wiped the Apollo Moonwalk video coverage and only the Kinescope films were left. You established that the NASA videos are still there (a great service to history!). Any chance that your detective skills could unearth any "missing" BBC video-tapes?

Even if you can't answer this one, can you provide (either on this site or by private E-mail) a contact address/phone number and contact name at the BBC archives where I could make my own enquiries. Even if the BBC's Apollo 11 Moonwalk coverage has been lost, I'm sure the BBC must have a lot of surviving Apollo material.(What about their coverage of the other Apollo flights?) There would be a ready-made market if BBC Enterprises issued a compilation DVD.

For instance, Sir Patrick Moore interviewed Neil Armstrong on "The Sky at Night" around 1970, and then interviewed Gene Cernan several years later. If those interviews survive, they should be made available to a wider audience instead of being left to gather dust on a shelf.

Any comments?

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posted 10-08-2003 08:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'll do my best to reply here to the last post and hit all the points...

1) I have heard many times the story that the BBC did erase some tapes of the Apollo 11 moonwalks. I don't have reliable enough contacts there to confirm what they were exactly, or what remains. I couldn't classify this (from my own personal knowledge) as more than a rumor, although I have heard it multiple times.

2) My frustration I think seeps through my prior post regarding my experiences so far with the BBC/CBS archives. Non returned calls, etc., along with a difficult time ascertaining who exactly was responsible for what burned up a considerable number of those calls. 100 may even be conservative. I worked on trying to get that one clip for 5 months (obviously not to the exclusion of all else!). I am, however, about to start back on a look for some other stuff that CBS should have.

3) I do not know the state of other missions, since I haven't searched for specific clips. I must admit that the first Saturn V launch might be more obscure than the Apollo 11 coverage, so I suspect much of that stuff is intact. At least I hope so. I was specifically hoping to include that broadcast (1st Saturn V), and haven't yet searched for others.

4) I owe much to Kipp Teague in locating the videotapes at JSC. I have had a moonwalking astronaut tell me that he understood only kinescopes existed there, and was pleased to find out there were tapes... although they are not complete (at least the ones we've been able to find) But if you just call up and ask for footage... the kinescopes-a-you-will-get. All the NASA centers and the history office have been marvelous to work with in finding stuff. Admittidly, though, they have moved onto other things and not a lot of folks are on staff purely for history. I got a call a few weeks ago from a researcher from the history channel who was looking for a specific clip from part of the Apollo 16 moonwalk and NASA public affairs referred them to me!

Oh, and I will look up some contact info and get it to you. If I can't access your email on here please send it to me at info@spacecraftfilms.com.

Blackarrow
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posted 10-09-2003 05:45 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mark, you can contact me by E-Mail through this site. (The link at the top of my posting is valid). Any contact information you can supply would be very helpful. I am rather closer to London than you are and might find it easier to answer a few questions.

spacecraft films
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posted 10-09-2003 08:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Actually, the BBC are over here managing the CBS News archives in New York.

But I'll send along contact information.

spacecraft films
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posted 10-27-2003 06:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
If Robert will permit, I'd like to do a little informal market research here at collectSPACE.

We have some advertising coming up in some magazines for our products, and was interested in what media you generally consume. I'm interested in magazines and television programs.

Thanks for the help!

AlanLawrie
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posted 10-29-2003 03:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for AlanLawrie     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Saturn V management reports DVD was wonderful. Three questions. Where did you find the film (MSFC, NARA?). Are the missing reports lost forever? Do you know if there were ever film progress reports done for Saturn I/IB?
Thanks.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 10-29-2003 07:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by spacecraft films:
If Robert will permit, I'd like to do a little informal market research here at collectSPACE.

By all means, though I would suggest those that wish to assist, e-mail their answers to Mark...

spacecraft films
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posted 10-30-2003 02:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Saturn V management reports were found at Marshall. There is a long story behind them, but they were not protected environmentally, so there was substantially pink-fade. We really had to crank color correction to bring them in.

You never know when something will crop up, and i doubt the missing ones are gone forever, but we haven't found a copy yet... especially a decent one.

There are some other earlier Saturn reports, but I am not sure about specifically on the Saturn IB.

AlanLawrie
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posted 10-30-2003 03:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for AlanLawrie     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Regarding the earlier post on the missing Walter Cronkite Apollo 4 tape, the BBC showed a documentary on 28 June 1994 (which I have) which included the Apollo 4 launch. They showed ABC and CBS colour video from just before and after the launch and audio of Cronkite during the launch (as his press stand collapses) with film of the launch running at the same time. Hope this helps.

spacecraft films
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posted 10-30-2003 09:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have some of that footage. And I have an audio tape of the broadcast. I was really shooting for the broadcast in much more of a bulk form. I'm quite certain it exists somewhere... but CBS's archives (managed by BBC) couldn't put their hands on it despite my efforts.

We're about to re-do Saturn V and I'm going to try again!

mark plas
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posted 11-02-2003 01:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mark plas   Click Here to Email mark plas     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mark, I want to thank you for the great job you are doing. I just got Apollo 17 complete downlink and it is absolutely amazing (although my girlfriend complains about the fact that since i received the discs she thinks she lives in mission control).

I have one question regarding the audio off the pre and postflight press conferences: isn't there any footage of that and if so are you planning to bring that available also?

spacecraft films
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posted 11-02-2003 04:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the kind words.

Someday we may do a supplement disc with press conferneces. It's more likely we'd just do that for all of Apollo together. Problem on the current sets is that they are simply PACKED. A dual layer DVD holds 8.54 GB and some of them are above 8.4 to 8.5.

They would be interesting, though. I love hearing the accounts fresh.

spacecraft films
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posted 11-02-2003 04:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Some of the things Ron Evans says on the 17 disc are a lot of fun.

Listen to the onboard recorder during the Saturn V launch (one of my favorite tracks ever)... Evans is hilarious at staging.

Also, listen to him on the transearth EVA when he tells Houston that on EVA you're supposed to use names and he wants to be called simply "Ron." So he says, "Houston, this is Ron."

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posted 11-02-2003 04:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mark, sorry it has taken three posts to fully answer your question.

Some of the material is from press conferences (from which there is video) and some of the material is from the post-flight debriefing (from which there is only audio).

mark plas
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posted 11-02-2003 04:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mark plas   Click Here to Email mark plas     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mark, thanks for your answer. I am certainly looking foreward too that if it comes out. But first of all I am looking forward to Apollo 16 complete downlink.

Dennis Beatty
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posted 11-07-2003 05:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dennis Beatty   Click Here to Email Dennis Beatty     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This may be a bit off-topic, and I must admit up front that it has been quite some time since I purchased/watched the "original" Apollo 14 DVDs...

While I applaud the effort, I seem to recall coming away somewhat disappointed in the quality of the video. My dim memories have the live video transmission being rather crisp and sharp, while the DVD images seemed somewhat "soft". Perhaps I am mistaken and the original material wasn't as good as I remember. Which is entirely possible...I find that happening more and more as I get older. In any case, I scanned the DVDs once and haven't gone back again.

I played the discs on two different DVD players and viewed them on two different monitors (23 and 27 inch)... so I don't believe that it was a hardware related issue. I'd appreciate your input.

dsenechal
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posted 11-07-2003 06:33 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dsenechal   Click Here to Email dsenechal     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Dennis, I'm not Mark, but I have a little knowledge on the topic (hope you don't mind).

The quality of the video from Apollo 14 was disappointing at the time of the original broadcast, and was due mostly to the camera design. NASA recognized this shortcoming; and the reason for the vast improvement in Apollo 15-17 is that they replaced the older Westinghouse camera with a much improved RCA version.

If you'll watch the A-14 video closely, from time to time you'll see that the video actually, albeit briefly, becomes quite clear as Mission Control is directing the crew to make camera adjustments. This seemed to happen most often when they were "stopping the lens down", i.e., reducing the amount of light entering the camera. This reduced the amount of smearing associated with the vidicon tubes of that era.

Anyway, I'm sure that the Spacecraft Films folks can provide a better explanation, but the quality of the original broadcast wasn't too good, and I'd guess that Spacecraft Films managed to squeeze as much quality as they could from what they had to work with.

spacecraft films
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posted 11-07-2003 06:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
David covered this pretty well, but I'll add what I can.

Compared to other missions, Apollo 14's video is really quite disappointing. What you saw on the discs is directly from a digital transfer from the JSC videotape directly to disc. That's the way it looked. For the entire ALSEP, you had, basically, two blobs far off in the distance. It wasn't just the poor camera, it was also the fact that the camera was frequently far away from the action. I wouldn't characterize any of Apollo 14's footage as "sharp."

I'm sorry that you've received that perception of us from that mission. I think we're severely limited on 14 due to the original quality.

Take a trip to our site and click on "future products" and you'll see a Fox promo trailer, an Apollo 15 trailer and an Apollo 17 trailer. While they are HIGHLY compressed for the web, you'll see from even those the vastly superior quality of the other missions (there is EVA footage on all three). When I go back to 14 now from seeing the other missions, it really is quite painful (the original tapes). There is just no comparison.

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posted 11-07-2003 07:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ooops. Forgot site address: www.spacecraftfilms.com

I'm out of time right now. I'll write a little more on the Apollo 14 TV (and all Apollo TV) later tonight.

spacecraft films
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posted 11-07-2003 08:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spacecraft films   Click Here to Email spacecraft films     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Sorry for the interuption. I had to go downstairs and beat my wife at tonight's Jeopardy. No good space categories, but I still held my own.

The Apollo 14 camera suffered from really bad "blooming" due to the nature of its pickup tube. If you'll note, there are times, as David describes, when just the right lighting is attained at just the right setting, and the picture becomes reasonable. At other times the white suits "bloom" and demolish the detail. "Comet-tailing" and "blooming" were problems we used to have in olden days when we used vacuum tubes as TV pickup devices. When taken to an extreme, such as when the Apollo 12 camera was pointed into the sun, the tube would burn and be rendered inoperable. In moderate cases bright areas would "bloom" and streak as the camera was moved (comet-tailing). Today's CCD (solid state) pickup devices have done away with these nasty artifacts. The harsh lighting conditions of the lunar surface was a terrible environment for early 70's TV cameras (especially given the limitations on bandwith given the TV).

The Apollo 15 video was improved with the new camera, as well as by the improvement of being remotely controlled on the rover. On Apollo 14 when Shepard and Mitchell went off to Cone they were out of the frame. On the "J" missions we could follow along. On Apollo 15 the camera was first on the MESA, then set up to view the rover deploy, then moved to the rover. A plastic device on the television control unit began to fail, resulting in a requirement for the crew to help it out when it got stuck (mostly on EVA 3 and usually pointing to the extreme up or down positions). This was determined to be a thermal problem and was fixed with a hardware change, with no problem on 16 and 17. However, all of the TV footage was superior to any seen from the moon to that point.

When you get to Apollo 16 and 17, new signal processing was used which further enhanced the picture, making these two missions, by far, the best TV from the moon. On 16 and 17, however, the TV coverage did not begin until the camera was mounted on the rover, so there is no TV of the crew coming down the ladder on these two missions (though there is some sequence camera film footage of Young and Cernan's first steps).

I'm working on a section of the site that should be up in a month or so containing data I have found out about Apollo TV... that goes in depth on how it worked and rating each mission and going by station by station and rating the quality.

When we do the discs, we try to work from videotape because it has better detail than the kinescope. There are some sections of the JSC videotapes (original 2" hiband now on broadcast digibeta and betacamSP)that we didn't feel were suitable and we used kinescope instead. The biggest problems on the videotapes are color shifting, since the original transmissions from the moon came down in alternating red-green-blue fields. Also, the quality at each station was highly dependent (in terms of noise) on how well the antenna was pointed.

We're now using digital noise reduction when we're encoding the MPEG2s for the DVDs, and using excellent encoders at the highest bitrate we can (and still provide complete material). The result is imperceptably different than the masters as they now exist.

Hope this helps!

Dennis Beatty
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posted 11-08-2003 09:21 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dennis Beatty   Click Here to Email Dennis Beatty     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank you to all for the info/education. Perhaps I'll have to give the later missions a try.

mark plas
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From: the Netherlands
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 11-08-2003 10:42 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for mark plas   Click Here to Email mark plas     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Dennis, if I was you I would certainly give the later missions a try. It's worth every penny.


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